Timer attachment for child&#39;s garment



April 19, 1955 L. GOLDMAN TIME ATTACl-IMENT FOR CHILD'S GARMENT Filed May 19, 1954 United States Patent TIMER ATTACHMENT FOR CHILDS GARMENT Louis Goldman, Framingham, Mass. Application May 19, 1954, Serial No. 430,861

Claims. (Cl. 58-2113) This invention relates to a timer attachment which may be placed in a childs garment to sound an alarm as a rerninder for the child to go home or perform a certain tas The invention has for its general object the provision of an alarm device which can be set to produce a signal after a predetermined time interval, which is securely mounted in the pocket of a garment, and which can yet be removed when the garment is to be washed or cleaned. Other objects are to provide a mounting for the alarm element which holds the element rigidly and prevents its removal by a young child, and which is so constructed that the child cannot tamper with the setting mechanism. The invention consists in general of a clock type of mechanism of the kind having a shaft which can be turned to wind up a clock motion, the motion itself being arranged to ring an alarm when it has run down, the whole being securely mounted in a pocket on a garment with the clock mechanism inside the pocket and the setting handle outside.

In the drawings illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the mechanism mounted in the garment pocket,

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken along line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken along line 33 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of a modification of the device, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the timer mounting member employed in the modification of Fig. 4.

The enclosure for the timer consists of a pocket generally indicated by the numeral attached to a garment, indicated by the numeral 11, which may be a coat, jacket, shirt, or similar outer garment. The pocket is preferably of the bellows type having a front face 16 and folded in bottom and side margins 12, 13 and 14. The edges of the folded in margins are secured to the garment by a line of stitching 15 in such a manner that the face, or outer wall 16, projects beyond the stitching at the bottom and sides. The stitching 15 is terminated somewhat short of the top edge of the pocket leaving free corners at the top corners 17 and 18. Snap fasteners 19 and 20 are mounted on these corners and cooperate with mating fastener parts 21 and 22 which are mounted on the garment. The folded in side margins 13 and 14 are carried up beyond the snap fasteners, as indicated by the dotted line 23 in Fig. 1, so that the female part of the fastener holds the entire corner flat. A top flap 24 is stitched to the garment above the upper edge of the pocket. The timer clock mechanism 25, which is of conventional construction, is mounted inside the pocket with its shaft 29 projecting through an eyelet 30 in the outer wall 16. A detachable handle 31 is mounted on the outer end of the shaft. The handle may be secured to the shaft by a friction connection, or in any other suitable manner. A stiffening member 26 which may be stiff cardboard or light sheet metal is attached to the timer in any suitable manner, for example, by eyelets 27 which grip the rim 28 of the casing of the timer.

As shown in Fig. 1 the stiffening member extends down into the bottom of the pockets and outward at the sides between the front wall 16 and the side margins 13 and 14. The stifiener also has upwardly extending lugs 32 and 33 which extend up as far as the snap fasteners. In Fig. 1 the right-hand lug is shown taken out from between the front wall and the side margin 14 in preparation for removal of the timer from the pocket, while the left-hand lug is shown in place between front wall 16 2,706,378 Patented Apr. 19, 1955 and side margin 13. As can readily be seen when the lugs are in place and the snap fasteners are closed, the lugs will bear up against the snap fasteners and will serve to hold the stiffening element and the timer against rotation in the pocket. On the front of the outside wall of the pocket is depicted the clock face which can be painted or embroidered. The handle 31 carries a pointer 35 which can be set at the desired time interval by rotating the handle. The clock face carries appropriate time designations 34 which may, for example, run up to one hour or up to two hours.

The mechanism itself is made sufficiently stiff to wind so that a young child would not have sufficient strength to move the handle once it has been set. To use the device the adult sets the handle at the desired time and the resulting rotation of the shaft winds up the clock and alarm mechanism. The child is then told to come indoors, or do whatever the adult wishes, when the alarm rings. After the predetermined time interval has passed the clock mechanism has rotated the knob back to the zero position and an alarm or buzzer goes off to serve as a reminder to the child.

The entire mechanism is securely held in the pocket by the snapped corners and the attachment of the handle to the shaft. On the other hand, the mechanism can be readily removed by first taking off the handle and then unsnapping the pocket corners to free the lugs 32 and 33 In the modification of Fig. 5 the lugs 32 and 33 are somewhat more elongated than in the previously described construction, and have holes 36 and 37. As shown in Fig. 4 these elongated lugs extend upward through an appropriate slit 38 in the side margin 13 and a similar slit (not shown) in side margin 14. Hole 36 is aligned with a snap fastener 19 so that when the fastener is closed the lug 36 is securely held between the corner 17 of the pocket and the garment 11. Hole 37 is similarly engaged by snap fastener 20. The manner of attachment of the handle to the shaft and the operation of the device are the same as previously described.

What is claimed is:

l. A timer attachment for a childs garment comprising: a pocket in said garment, having an outer wall; a timing device, of the type having a mechanism for producing an alarm signal after a predetermined interval and a shaft which may be rotated to .set the mechanism, mounted in said pocket with the shaft projecting through said outer wall; time calibration indicia on said outer wall, said shaft being centrally disposed with respect to the indicia; a pointer attached to said shaft and cooperating with said indicia to indicate a time setting; and a mounting member attached to said timing device and disposed within said pocket, said pocket having means engaging said mounting member to prevent displacement of said timing device when said shaft is rotated.

2. A timer attachment as described in claim 1, said front wall having upper corner portions held closely to the garment by separable fastening means, and said mounting member comprising a piece of stiff sheet material having upper corners disposed in the region of said fastening means so as to be caught by the same to prevent displacement of the timing device.

3. A timing attachment as described in claim 2, said outer wall having upper corner portions connected to the garment by snap fasteners, and said stiffening member comprising a piece of stiff sheet material having tabs extending upward beyond said snap fasteners, said tabs having holes through which the male element of the snap fasteners pass when the fasteners are closed.

4. A timer attachment for a childs garment comprising: a bellows type of pocket having an outer wall with folded in side margins, the edges of which are attached to the garment; separable fastener means connecting the upper parts of said margins to the garment; securing means holding said upper parts flat against the wall; a timing device of the type having a mechanism for producing an alarm signal after a predetermined interval and a shaft which may be rotated to set the mechanism, mounted in said pocket with the shaft projecting through said outer wall; time calibration indicia on said outer wall, said shaft being centrally disposed with respect to the indicia; a pointer attached to said shaft and cooperating with said indicia to indicate a time setting; and a piece of stiff sheet material attached to said timing device, said piece being disposed in said pocket and having upper corner portions disposed between said wall and the respective side margins immediately below said securing means so as to be trapped by the same and prevent displacement of the timing device.

5. A timer attachment as described in claim 4, said securing means comprising a pair of snap fastener elements securing the upper parts of said margins to said wall, and said separable fastening means comprising the aforesaid snap fastener elements and a pair of mating fastener elements disposed on said garment.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Greenwald July 24, Fantl Apr. 16, Brehl July 18, Fisher Nov. 14, Gengler June 20, Fenyvessy June 13, Darnell Mar. 20, 

